mauser firing pin problem

[JTF#]

hey
I was trying to replace the broke firing pin on my gew 98 but the cocking piece on the end will not twist on the new firing pin. any ideas? the original pin was numbers matching to the cocking piece would that make a difference?

 

[kawicrash]

Check for any burrs around the "lugs" on the firing pin, also dried up grease can make it jam up. Get out your old toothbrush. Check that the end of the firing pin is not peened or mushroomed over. This will stop it from going in far enough.
Finally, is the new firing pin correct? A lot of them look similar, and there was some variation.
Do you have another rifle to some parts swap experimentation?
Good luck.

 

[jbmauser]

You have to remember Mausers were made for a long time by many different manufacturers in many different countries. Slight variations, tolerance stacking, etc., can all contribute to slightly misfitting parts. In theory any M98 part should fit any M98 but it doesn't work out that way all the time. Obviously your number matching parts were fit to each other at the factory and the new part is slightly off.

Checking for burrs as suggested above is a good idea, as is looking for crud in the lugs and grooves. If nothing shows up there you may need to try a different pin or take it to a smith to have it fit. I've fit pins by lightly filing the lugs but I don't know what your skill level is.

 

[9.3mauser]

^^^ This. Although the parts were theoretically interchangeable, I've had problems with trying to replace parts with ones from different manufacturers. I think it was a DWM firing pin that would not fit in my Oberndorf BYF 42 Mauser, or it might have been an FN one.